Press Release Source: Republican National Committee (Reagan Mini-Series)

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Letter from Chairman Ed Gillespie to CBS Regarding the Mini-Series 'The Reagans'
Friday October 31, 2:50 pm ET

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031031/dcf037_1.html

I have recently seen reports about the upcoming CBS miniseries "The Reagans" and am concerned that its portrayal of our 40th President and Mrs. Reagan and the Reagan Presidency may not be historically accurate.

A CBS statement describes the series as "programming that informs, entertains and hopefully, stirs meaningful discourse." But if your series contains omissions, exaggerations, distortions or scenes that are fiction masquerading as fact, the American people may come away with a misunderstanding of the Reagans and the Reagan Administrations. Those graduating from college this year were only about five years old when President Reagan left office, and this broadcast will have a significant impact on their understanding of his legacy.

One producer, Neil Meron, said, "This is not a vendetta, this is not revenge. It is about telling a good story in our honest sort of way." I'm not sure "honest sort of way" meets a proper standard for historical accuracy.

<snip>

To avoid any confusion as to what constitutes treating the President, Mrs. Reagan and the Reagan Administrations in an honest sort of way, I respectfully request that you allow a team of historians to review the program for historical accuracy, and a panel of people who actually know the Reagans personally to review it for accuracy in its portrayal of them as individuals before it is aired.

If you're unwilling to do so, I respectfully request that you inform your viewers via a crawl every ten minutes that the program is a fictional portrayal of the Reagans and the Reagan Presidency, and they should not consider it to be historically accurate.

<snip>

OMFG, the bastards continue in effots to rewrite history to portray Howdy Doody as... Whatever the hell it is they want him remembered as.

[soleft]

1. how many cheesey movies about the Kennedy's have aired

I don't recall this kind of hysteria on the left. What freaking cry babies.

[snippy]

15. Excellent point. Could republicans be lying fucking hypocrites?

[kayell]

2. They would have to hand pick that team of historians

if they want to be sure of the rosy hued pic of the Reagans that they want.

[number six]

3. What's so suspicious

is the flinty way they jump up to defend Reagan on absolutely anything. They're hiding something big there.

[meegbear]

4. BWAH HA HA HA HA!!!

I almost want to watch this mini-series now.

[Hawkeye-X]

5. They should have a crawler that says...

"Republicans are hypocrites. This is an accurate portrayal of hypocrisy at its best. Your current President is a hypocrite. Deal with it."

Hawkeye-X

[Maeve]

8. How about just "This is a movie. It is not Fox News."

:eyes:

[wryter2000]

6. hahahahah

It's getting to be more and more O'ReillyvFranken-esque.

[Cocoa]

7. did they complain about that Bush puff-piece on Showtime?

or did they consider that to be historically accurate?

[snippy]

16. Another excellent point. Republicans are lying fucking hypocrites.

[denverbill]

9. Crimea river.

Fox News should have to put News in quotes.

[donotpassgo]

10. ITS A CBS TV MOVIE FOR GAWD SAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lets try this on for size:

"But if your SHOWTIME MOVIE DC9/11: TIME OF CRISIScontains omissions, exaggerations, distortions or scenes that are fiction masquerading as fact, the American people may come away with a misunderstanding of September 11 and the Bush Administration

[lovedems]

11. They will stop at nothing.

Do you think Doris Kearns Goodwin (is that her name?) would be a good presidential historian to look over the program? She was the one that got all the press in 00 and I remember liking her. She really tells it like it is. I don't think she would be in favor of covering Reagan's failings and if I remember correctly, there were alot of them.

By the way, the rethuglicans look really bad already. They are probably nervous this will make them look worse, one year from an election.

[shockingelk]

12. John Dingell's letter to CBS

http://www.house.gov/dingell/Reagan.pdf

Dear Mr. Moonves:

I write to you with regard to your upcoming mini-series "The Reagans." I share the concerns expressed by others that it may not present an accurate depiction of the Reagan administration and America during the 1980s. I trust that CBS will not be a party to a distorted representation of American history, and that the mini-series will present a fair and balanced portrayal of the Reagans, the 1980s and their legacy.

As someone who served with President Reagan, and in the interest of historical accuracy, please allow me to share with you some of my recollections of the Reagan years that I hope will make it into the final cut of the mini-series:

$640 Pentagon toilets seats; ketchup as a vegetable; union busting; firing striking air traffic controllers; Iran-Contra; selling arms to terrorist nations; trading arms for hostages; retreating from terrorists in Beirut; lying to Congress; financing an illegal war in Nicaragua; visiting Bitburg cemetery; a cozy relationship with Saddam Hussein; shredding documents; Ed Meese; Fawn Hall; Oliver North; James Watt; apartheid apologia; the savings and loan scandal; voodoo economics; record budget deficits; double digit unemployment; farm bankruptcies; trade deficits; astrologers in the White House; Star Wars; and influence peddling.

I hope you find these facts useful in accurately depicting President
Reagan's time in office.

With every good wish,

[kskiska]

13. Good for Dingell!

Why, all of a sudden, is the RNC interested in accuracy? Maybe they should check into that Jerry Falwell video they were hawking on Newsmax claiming the Clintons murdered people? How about checking the accuracy in Coulter and Olsen's books on the Clintons. How about checking the accuracy of those Arkansas state troopers' stories?

[David Zephyr]

21. Sweet. Thanks, Shockingelk!

Oh yeah!

[Cooley Hurd]

14. It gets better...

From CNN: RNC asks to review 'The Reagans'

In a conference call with reporters, RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie said he sent the request to CBS Television President Leslie Moonves.

Gillespie said that if CBS denies the request, he will ask the network to run a note across the bottom of the screen every 10 minutes during the program's presentation informing viewers that the miniseries is not accurate. Gillespie said that if CBS rejects both requests, the RNC would to sell tapes and DVDs on its Web site that would present "the real Reagan record."

"It's not the kind of thing we'll make money on -- I'm trying not to lose money on it," Gillespie said. "I want to publicize Reagan's record." Gillespie added that print and TV ads are being prepared to rebut the miniseries and that Republicans may try to buy time to run the ads during the miniseries.

While Gillespie -- who acknowledged that he has not seen "The Reagans" and has formed his opinion of it based solely on news reports -- had a number of complaints, he said he was most concerned about a comment attributed to Reagan in one episode. There is no evidence that the president told his wife during a conversation about AIDS patients, "They that live in sin shall die in sin," Gillespie said.

[OHdem10]

17. Self Censorship because of intimidation creates mistrust

Since CBS has agreed to edit and now such a bruha has develped, we are left to assume that the movie will be afairytale which meets the demands of the RW. The bad effect in all of this is to see a Network forced to bow to the demands of any group. For many of us who see the News Media conform to WH wishes on a daily basis this only adds to mistrust.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

18. Yes, and the bruha will garner the show some pretty high ratings...

Did the RNC not think about this?

[Bozita]

19. Moonves is on The Charlie Rose Show tonight

Here's the daily email from the show:

The Charlie Rose Show
----------------------------------
Friday, October 31, 2003 at 11:00 p.m. ET. (Topics subject to change.)

- Tonight's Show


LESLIE MOONVES
Chairman and CEO, CBS

[Don_G]

20. They're Afraid It Will Be Just As Accurate

As their portrayl of Clinton.

[grytpype]

22. Another step toward fascism by the GOP.

What will stop them?

[Bozita]

23. Malloy talking about this NOW 10:19pm ET

www.ieamericaradio.com

[Kool Kitty]

24. You know, this would be funny if it wasn't so damn frightening.

I mean, really. Here it is, the new 11th commandment-THOU SHALT NOT SPEAK ILL OF RONALD REAGAN. Goering and Goebbels would be so proud. IT'S A FUCKING MOVIE, YOU IDIOTS!!! If you don't like it, change the goddamn channel! I hope that CBS has the balls to run this, I know I'll definitely watch it. (And I wasn't going to.) Don't they realize that the more you cry to the press about it, the more publicity you give it, and the more people will watch it. This is the most important thing happening for Gillespie and the rest of the Reichwing? I am just blown away by the hysteria over this mini-series. So, what now-no artisitic license is to be allowed? It has to all be filtered by the Ministry of Propaganda? Incredible, simply incredible. Three years ago, did you think it would come to all of this? They sure don't mind any trash piece about the Kennedys. And they weren't so particular about how W was portrayed in that Showtime joke of a film. :eyes:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

27. When a POLITICAL PARTY starts demanding rights of rewrites

on teleplays and movies, we're all in deep doo. The bastards are feeling as if they can do any effing thing they want with impunity and without question.

[Voltaire99]

25. "Every ten minutes"!

"If you're unwilling to do so, I respectfully request that you inform your viewers via a crawl every ten minutes that the program is a fictional portrayal of the Reagans and the Reagan Presidency, and they should not consider it to be historically accurate."

LOL! Remind the average dummy every 10 minutes, so he won't forget!

Now we know the attention span of the average Republican. ;-)

[0007]

26. Hope they get into Nancy's witchcraft?

n/t